Saoirse Ronan biography, dating history, age, net worth, boyfriend 2025

Saoirse Ronan biography

Saoirse Ronan is an Irish actress who shot to fame at a remarkably young age with her stunning performances in films like Atonement and The Lovely Bones. Despite being early in her career, she's already earned three Academy Award nominations for her roles in Atonement, Brooklyn, and Lady Bird. Net worth: $9 million.

Early life and career

Saoirse's father, Paul Ronan, was born in Manchester, while her mother Monica (née Brennan) was born in Ireland. They met, married, and settled in the small town of Cabra in southwest Ireland. By the late '80s, the country was devastated by economic crisis, and the family—he a bartender, she a nanny—decided to move to the USA seeking a better life. There, in the bustling Bronx borough of New York City, on April 12, 1994, they welcomed their only child—Saoirse Una Ronan.

Saoirse means freedom in Irish, Una - little seal

In the USA, Paul began attending auditions and landed roles in major films, including The Devil's Own with Harrison Ford and The Boxer with Daniel Day-Lewis. The Devil's Own also starred legendary Brad Pitt, who met Saoirse when she was just a toddler sitting on her father's lap.

According to Zoomboola.com, in 1997 the Ronan family returned to Ireland—this time with one extra member. Initially, they settled in Dublin but later moved southeast to Ardattin, County Carlow. Paul continued pursuing his film career but couldn't land anything beyond supporting roles. Though he couldn't advance his own career, he gained valuable industry experience to share with his daughter.

Young Saoirse Ronan with her best friend – border collie Sassy

At age 9, Saoirse made her TV debut in the prime-time Irish medical drama The Clinic. Her character, Rhiannon Geraghty, appeared in four episodes. Just a year later, the young actress took a role in the detective miniseries Proof. Around the same time, she auditioned for Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix but lost the role to Evanna Lynch.

First TV appearance of Saoirse Ronan in The Clinic series

Around Saoirse's twelfth birthday, her family returned to the Dublin area, settling in a villa near Howth village.

Acting career

Saoirse Ronan's meteoric rise began in 2005 when she landed a role in the American romantic comedy I Could Never Be Your Woman starring Michelle Pfeiffer. Her standout performance as the daughter of a troubled screenwriter and producer caught the attention of major American directors.

Young Saoirse Ronan in I Could Never Be Your Woman

The bright young talent with her distinctive Irish accent and long blonde hair caught the eye of English director Joe Wright. As luck would have it, he was casting for his new film Atonement, specifically for the role of Briony, a precocious aspiring writer who falsely accuses her sister's lover of a crime. Her work in Atonement was described as following:

Saoirse Ronan gave us the sort of child rarely seen in films. Her Briony Tallis was neither a bad seed nor a clamoring cutey-pie. Instead, she was pensive, watchful and complicated; wise beyond her years, though crucially not quite wise enough to read the nuances of adult sexuality.

Partnered with Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, she performed masterfully and was able to shine bright in with such renowned cast. Saoirse Ronan earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, plus Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. While she didn't take home any of the trophies, the recognition alone was a massive achievement.

Saoirse Ronan has received an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Briony Tallis in Atonement

Despite her newfound fame, Saoirse stayed grounded as a regular kid—she still loved hanging out by the river or lounging in front of the TV, playing with her border collie Sassy, spending time with friends, and shooting hoops. However, Saoirse had to switch to homeschooling. "Some of the students were, you know, mean. But when your schoolmates recognize you before they've met you, and the teachers do too, it can make things very awkward and difficult," she has said.

In 2009, acclaimed director Peter Jackson cast Ronan in his new film The Lovely Bones, based on a bestselling novel of the same name by Alice Sebold, joining already established cast of Stanley Tucci, Rachel Weisz and Mark Wahlberg. {img#images/content/2018/3/uzn_15208573224.jpg Saoirse Ronan as Susie Salmon in The Lovely Bones} Both the movie and book captivated audiences with their unique storytelling. Fifteen-year-old Susie Salmon, played by Saoirse, is murdered by a serial killer at the film's opening. Throughout the film, she watches over her family from the afterlife, helping them cope with their grief and search for her killer.

The Lovely Bones trailer

Understandably, both Saoirse and her parents had reservations about taking on such a dark project, but eventually, Peter Jackson managed to change their minds. The movie received mixed reviews from the critics (according to them, the film's plot was significantly less dramatic than that of a novel), however, Saoirse's performance was praised almost unanimously. Ronan received nominations for Saturn Awards, British Academy Film Awards and Critics Association Awards.

In 2010's The Way Back, directed by Peter Weir, Saoirse Ronan—now an established actress—took on the role of an orphaned Polish teenager. Her character joins other prisoners attempting to escape a 1940s Soviet gulag, walking nearly 4,000 miles to India. For this ambitious project, Ronan teamed up with Colin Farrell, Jim Sturgess and Ed Harris.

Saoirse Ronan during the filming of The Way Back

In 2011, Saoirse reunited with Peter Weir for another film. This time the actress starred in his action-adventure film Hanna, alongside Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett. Despite being new to the action genre, Ronan successfully portrayed a 15-year-old blonde assassin, hiding from chasing her federal agencies.

The young actress was reportedly in talks with Peter Jackson to play an elf in his Hobbit trilogy. Ronan initially accepted the role but had to leave the production early due to filming conflicts in New Zealand. Staying with the famous director would have meant missing out on other projects like comedy-crime drama Violet and Daisy, vampire horror Byzantium, and romantic sci-fi The Host. The same circumstances forced Saoirse to drop out of the cast for Anna Karenina, with the role of Kitty passing over to Alicia Vikander.

A lesson of the Irish accent and an interview by Saoirse Ronan for The Host movie

In 2014, Saoirse Ronan appeared in Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel along with Ralph Fiennes and Ryan Gosling's directorial debut, the fantasy film Lost River. The Grand Budapest Hotel marked the first project where the actress worked without her parents' presence—previously, her family had always accompanied her regardless of filming location.

Saoirse Ronan as Agatha in The Grand Budapest Hotel

In 2015, Saoirse Ronan relocated to New York City. During this pivotal time, she starred in two career-defining films: Stockholm, Pennsylvania and Brooklyn. The first is a psychological drama about a girl kidnapped from her family who, after being found 20 years later, must adapt to the world that's changed around her. The second film centers on young Irish immigrants who flee to Brooklyn seeking a fresh start. At first, this character was supposed to be portrayed by Rooney Mara but was passed to Saoirse later.

Her work in Brooklyn earned Saoirse another Academy Award nomination. Once again, she lost out to another actress—Brie Larson for her performance in Room. Ironically, the plot of Room movie was suspiciously similar to Stockholm: Pennsylvania one.

In 2018 Saoirse Ronan managed to score a third Academy Awards nomination for her incredible performance in American comedy-drama film Lady Bird (2017). The film follows a young girl from a small town who's fed up with the callousness of everyone around her. She dreams of escaping both her town and her circumstances, but her struggling family can't offer financial or emotional support. Everything changes when a boy from an upper-class family falls for her.

Though Saoirse missed out on the Oscar again (it went to Frances McDormand for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), she finally won her first Golden Globe.

Saoirse Ronan's attire on 2018 Academy Awards

Later in 2018, Saoirse played Nina Zarechnaya in Michael Mayer's The Seagull, based on Anton Chekhov's classic play.

Personal life

Saoirse is relatively private and prefers to keep her personal life out of the spotlight. However, some details about her personal life are known. In 2013, she was spotted with her first known boyfriend, British actor George MacKay. The two met on the set of How I Live Now.

What happened between the two actors remains unclear, but their relationship ended as quickly as it began. George refused to shed light on their breakup, while Saoirse simply said she prefers being single. Later that year, she briefly dated another British actor, Max Irons.

In May 2017, tabloids reported a relationship between Saoirse and Irish singer Hozier, who's three years her senior. The pair never appeared together at public events, but paparazzi caught them at a music festival. They later had to clarify that Saoirse and Hozier were simply longtime friends.

Saoirse Ronan now

In 2019, Saoirse starred in "Little Women," based on Louisa May Alcott's beloved novel, playing the spirited Jo March. She also appeared in Wes Anderson's "The French Dispatch," which premiered in 2021.

Michele Woods

I watched with her only The Host, which was written by the author of Twilight. Well, the film is so-so ... And when the film is so-so it is difficult to see the actor.

2021-05-18 18:34:50
Billie Fields

«Little Women» made a splash this year. A very strong and deep film about women`s independence, which will be interesting to watch for all who defend the ideas of feminism.

2021-05-01 23:38:03
Clifford Smith

Saoirse, despite her relatively young age, plays in very strong films, which are then nominated for various awards. I think this characterizes her very well as a talented actress.

2021-04-29 21:06:15
Alma Mullins

Lovely bones left such an indelible mark on my psyche that I still did not dare to review it even once, although I remember that the film was very impressed with the acting and the plot.

2021-03-20 17:31:17
Melanie Butler

And why knowing both films perfectly well, I still didn`t know that the girl from the movie Lovely Bones and Lady Bird are one person ??

2021-03-02 12:35:49

Photos: Saoirse Ronan

Saoirse Ronan biography

Early life and career

Acting career

Personal life

Saoirse Ronan now